MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP CultHerit IN CLUJ
In June, the first meeting of the Steering Committee (SCOM) took place in Cluj, where the representatives of the 8 partners from the #CHIM cultural sector met and agreed on the key elements of the project.
One of the main objectives of the meeting was the official establishment of the project's Steering Committee.
The representative of the Lead Partner (LMP) presented the main features of the operation and organization of the Steering Committee (SCOM) and each partner nominated a member in the SCOM on behalf of the respective organization.
After that, the partners focused on the experiences accumulated so far in the functioning of stakeholder groups (key stakeholders' group – KSG) and all partners shortly introduced KSG in their country.
Adrian Lupaş and Mihai Bucurean, as representatives of AJOFM Bihor, provided an overview of the activity 1.2 Transnational analysis of employment practices which includes an overview of achievements, a presentation of the most important challenges and a preliminary outline of the results.
Thomas Philipp, KUPF representative, presented an Introduction to Activity 1.3. The transnational aspirational employment model. Thomas presented the main tasks related to the definition of the employment model, the presentation being followed by a session with a workshop format, a workshop in which all partners actively participated.
On the second day of the project meeting, the partners were asked to focus on the preparation of the first progress reports and together they discussed the project management focusing on the deliverables and planned results and discussed the next tasks related to the implementation of the activities.
After that, Marija Jurkić Flis, MUO representative and coordinator of communication activities, presented the latest developments related to communication, the project web page and why social media engagement matters. She also shared some tips and ideas with partners about social media presence, which will also be important for the future success of the project.
The meeting ended with conclusions and the partners agreed that the next meeting will be held in Belgrade in October.
This project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Program, co-financed by the European Union
Photo credit: IMM, Zoltàn Szalontai
Project partners:
Iparművészeti Múzeum MAK – Museum of Applied Arts KUPF OÖ
AJOFM Bihor Republički zavod za zaštiti spomenica kulture Beograd
Međuopštni zavod za zaštiti spomenica kulture Subotica Uměleckoprůmyslové museum in Praze Републички завод за заштиту cultural-historical and natural nasљеђа
Raziskovalno Isobraževalno Središče Dvorec Rakičan
National Heritage Institute The National History Museum of Transylvania
Trade Union of Employees in Cultural Institutions, Belgrade, Serbia



CultHeRit – Identifying solutions for labor market disparities in the cultural heritage sector in the Danube region by improving accessibility for young professionals

The disparities on the labor market in the heritage sector are due to several causes. The attractiveness of a career in the cultural heritage sector has declined in recent decades, the main causes being low pay and a lack of innovative employment practices to counterbalance the modest financial reward. Also, the young graduates of some specialized universities are not prepared in accordance with the offer on the labor market, potential employers being thus forced to apply practices that reflect the special legal status of employees and the type of work in the cultural heritage sector.
Thus, the National History Museum of Transylvania is involved in the project CultHeRit – Identifying solutions for labor market disparities in the cultural heritage sector in the Danube region by improving accessibility for young professionals, within a partnership between 13 institutions and organizations from 8 countries, coordinated by the Hungarian Museum of Applied Arts [IMM] – project leader and the following partners: the Museum of Applied Arts [MAK] and the Cultural Platform of Upper Austria [KUPF ] – Austria; The National Heritage Institute [INP], the National Museum of Transylvanian History [MNIT] and the Bihor County Employment Agency [AJOFMBH] – Romania; Republican Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments [RIPCM], Subotica Intermunicipal Institute for the Protection of Historical Monuments [IPCMS] and the Trade Union of Employees in Cultural Institutions [SKS] – Serbia; Museum of Decorative Arts [UPM] – Czech Republic; Institute for the Protection of Cultural-Historical and Natural Heritage [IPC] – Bosnia and Herzegovina; Museum of Arts and Crafts [MUO] – Croatia; Research and Education Center "Mansion Rakičan" [RIS] – Slovenia. During 30 months (01.01.2024 – 30.06.2026), the partners aim to optimize the labor market by inducing positive changes in the employment practices currently applied in the cultural heritage sector. This will be achieved by defining and applying a model of employment in the cultural heritage institutions of the participating countries in the Danube region. By increasing access to the cultural heritage sector for young professionals, the CultHeRit project will contribute to slowing down and reversing the migration of young people with higher education and retaining skilled labor in the targeted institutions, while increasing the diversification of the sectoral workforce.
The objective of the project will be fulfilled through a series of specific activities:
- Carrying out the transnational analysis of employment practices in institutes and museums in the cultural heritage sector in the Danube region;
- Defining the general employment model for young professionals at the partnership level;
- Application of the model by hiring a young professional for 1 year in 10 institutions part of the project consortium;
- Evaluation and improvement of the applied model from three perspectives: of the young professional, the employer and external experts;
- Optimizing the general model of employment of young professionals to be used later at the regional level;
- Elaboration of the Transnational Study on access to jobs and the employment situation in institutes and museums in the cultural heritage sector;
- Elaboration of the Transnational Strategy regarding the improvement of access to jobs and the employment situation in institutes and museums in the cultural heritage sector;
- Running a visibility and advocacy campaign.
Among the topics addressed in the working group meetings will be: legal status and employment conditions, gender equality, access to jobs for people with disabilities and disadvantaged groups, the feasibility of solutions identified at the partnership level in a national context, etc. The members of the working group will contribute to the definition of a general and desirable employment model, to the development of recommendations during the testing of the employment model, to its adaptation and modification in order to make a real contribution to the improvement of the employment situation in the heritage sector, as and developing analyzes and collecting data.
The first stage of the project is dedicated to the elaboration the transnational analysis of employment practices by providing and collecting data based on the methodology developed within the consortium, which will aim to analyze the current conditions and dynamics of the labor market in the heritage sector. MNIT, in collaboration with the National Heritage Institute, will collect data on local employment practices to analyze relevant university programs as well as student expectations regarding employment in the cultural heritage sector.
Along with all other partners, our museum will identify desirable and at the same time viable solutions on a large scale for the recruitment, employment and retention of young professionals in the sector, thus contributing to the definition of a general model of their employment, applicable at the level of all the countries involved in the project.
After adapting to national regulations, the partners will test the applicability of the model by employment for 1 year of a recent graduate in one of the areas with a shortage of personnel, who will work under the guidance of a mentor.
Through the experience of this stage, MNIT will contribute to finalizing the employment modele and will transfer elements of it to the internal practices in the field of human resources.
Ultimately, the CultHeRit project strives to ensure that the cultural heritage sector becomes and remains an attractive workplace, offering careers aimed at the professional development of young employees, and aims to contribute to the retention of the skilled workforce by increasing at the same time occupational and age diversity in the sector.
Project CultHeRit – Identifying solutions for labor market disparities in the cultural heritage sector in the Danube region by improving accessibility for young professionals is part of the Danube Transnational Cooperation Program, a financing instrument of Interreg that aims to improve the application of regional development policies and programs in the Danube area. The project will be implemented between January 2024 and June 2026 and has a total budget of €2.043.590, of which €1.634.872 is non-refundable funding.
